Car-coupling



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN \V. lVILKS, OF \VILKSBURG, AND CHARLES \VIHTUS, OF CHESTER,

SOUTH CAROLINA.

CAR-COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 470,230, dated March 8,1892.

Application filed July 3, 1890. Renewed August 12, 1891. Serial No.402,434. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, JOHN WV. WILKs, of Wilksburg, and CHARLES Wnrrus,of Chester, South Carolina, citizens of the United States, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements on the invention of Charles Whitus,patented March 18, 1890, No. 423,463, for a Oar-Coupler; and we dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of theinvention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon,which form a part of this specification.

Our invention has relation to car-couplers; and it consists in the novelconstruction and arrangement of its parts.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a sectional view showing thebumper and pin-rest attached to the car. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, S, 9,10, and 11 are detail views.

WVe make a bumper A, having the usual broad mouth a, extending back intoa throat a. The rear end of this throat terminates in an under slot aSaid bumper is provided with the usual bumper-spring and attachments tosecure it to said coach.

The pin-rest B is provided with a table I) for holding up the pin. Thefront part or eave b of said table projects forward from theperpendicular part or link-arrester b and slopes upward to an edge. Thiseave has two purposes. It extends forward as much as or more than thethickness of the link, so that when the pin drops it cannot fall betweenthe end of the link and the pin-arrester, but will drop down through thelink, and said eave slopes upwardly, so that the said link will notcatch against it, but will slip under it. Said pin-rest is also providedwith a plate b which extends rearwardly, from said link-arrester andWorks in the throat a of the bulkhead. In the rear end of said plate ishinged an arm 0. Said arm is so hinged that it will lie on a line withsaid plate or drop down and hang at an angle of ninety degrees to theface of said plate. Said pin-rest b is put in said bulk-head bystraightening out the said arm 0 and thrusting it down the throat of thesaid bulk-head, table uppermost, and

when the said arm reaches the slot a it drops down through said slot.

Our said invention is provided with a strap D, which passes under thesaid bulk-head and has each end securely fastened to the bottom of thecar. This is to hold the bulk-head in place. Said strap D has securelyfixed to it immediately under said bulk-head and in line with the underslot a an eye d. The lower end of said arm 0 is perforated, in which issecured one end of a chain E, the other end running forward and passingthrough the eye d and having on its pendent end a cross or otherenlargement to keep it from slipping back through the said eye.

lVe may use any ordinarily constructed coupling-pin; but we prefer touse the coupling-pin F, (shown in Fig. 1,) with an eye or equivalentdevice on the head of the same, so that the cars may be uncoupled by anyof the ordinary means known for lifting the pin without going betweenthe cars.

I Fig. 3 is a face view of an ordinary link H, to which is secured ormade integral with the same washers h.

Fig. 4 is an edge view of Fig. 3, and Fig. 5 is a face view of ourdouble self-holding link, which consists of two ordinary links I-IH, onesecured on each side of a washer h. Said links and said washer may beall made in one piece, or it maybe composed of two links, one beingplaced on either face of a washer.

Fig. 7 is a face view of our center link.

Fig. 8 is an edge View of said center link, which consists of anordinary link H, having a washer h on each side. These links may bestraight, as shown in Fig. 9, or may be swaged at one end, as shown inFig. 11. As we have said, said links and washers may be made solid, orthey may be made separately, and a sufficient number of them carried ina box or other convenient receptacle attached to the end of the car nearthe bumper.

Our invention is operated as follows: We set the pin F by hand, or raiseit by any of the above-mentioned appliances. To then take hold of thechainE and pull the pin-rest forward until its table is under thepin-hole, and then let the pin down. The pin -is thus set. Ve then putone of the links above described in the mouth of the next bulk-head andstep out of the way and signal the engineer to back up. This sends thelink into the bulk-head, in which we have just set the pin, and drivesthe pin-rest B back, and the pin falls through the link, and the carsare coupled.

\Vith our compound links above described we are able to couple to a carfive inches higher or lower than its neighbor. If we wish to couple to alow car, we use the link shown in Fig. 3, link down and washers up. Ifwe wish to couple to a high car, we use the same link, link up andwashers down. If

the cars are of the same height and the train is long and heavy, we usethe links and washers shown in Figs. 5 and 6, one link up and one downand a washer between the two. If the train is light and the re be nodanger of the pin breaking under its draft, we use the link and washersshown in Figs. 7 and 8, one washer up and one down and alink between thetwo. These links and washers are made just thick enough to nearly fillthe mouth of the bulk-head, and when used in connection with each otherthe link stands straight out to the front, without anything else tosupport it.

Having described our invention, what we claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination of the bulk-head A, having the wide mouth a, threata, and under slot a pin-rest 13, having the table I), sloped eaves b",link-arrester b rear plate 12 and arm 0, hinged to said plate andadapted to hang down through the under slot a substantially as shown anddescribed.

2. The combination of the bulk-head A, having the wide mouth a, throata, and under slot a pin-rest B, having the table I), sloped eavesb,link-arrester b rear plate b and arm 0, hinged to said plate andadapted to hang down through the under slot a strap D, passing undersaid bulk-head and having the eyed secured thereto, andchain E, one endsecured to the free end of arm C and the other passing through the eye(Z, substantially as shown and described, and for the purposes Setforth.

3. The combination of the bulk-head A, having the wide mouth a, throata, and under slot a pin-rest B, having the table I), sloped eaves b,link-a-rrester b rear plate b and arm 0, hinged to said plate andadapted to hang down through the under slot (0 links H and washers 72,,and pin F, adapted to drop through said links and washers, substantiallyas shown and describechand for the purposes set forth.

at. In a car coupler, substantially as described, the pin-rest 13,having the table I), 1ink-arrester 0 rear plate b and arm C, hinged inthe rear end of said plate, substantially as shownand described, and forthe purposes set forth.

In testimony whereof weaiiix our signatures in presence of witnesses.

JOHN WV. VVILKS. CHARLES lVl'lITUS.

lVitnesses to signature of John \V. lVilks:

JOHN T. ELLIOTT, JOHN C. MOEEDDER.

\Vitnesses to signature of Charles \Vhitus:

A. E. GLASCOCK, GRAHAM L. GORDON.

